


The Word is Maniacal

by Annie D (scaramouche)



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Humor, M/M, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-11-01
Updated: 2003-11-01
Packaged: 2017-10-02 19:10:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scaramouche/pseuds/Annie%20D
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jacks thinks about this thing with Jacob.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Word is Maniacal

The comfort found in each other’s presence simply boiled down to respect, which was merely more evidence of how much the military had burned itself into Jack’s psyche. Ladders. Ranking. One side, I respect you but you’re under me so you ought to respect me a little more; the other side, I respect you but you’re my superior so I’m deserving of less of your respect than that which I owe you.

General Jacob Carter had definitely been in the Slightly More Respected group of individuals by Jack’s mental labelling. However, Jacob Carter, Tok’ra operative and occasional-friend had slowly moved away from that. He was Tok’ra, Jack couldn’t stand Tok’ra. He had a relaxed psuedo-military mind, Jack related to (and grudgingly could be forced to admit _liked_) relaxed pseudo-military minds.

Jacob. Pain-in-the-ass, annoyingly cocky, occasionally trustworthy, and dear god, someone Jack could finally talk hockey with.

Still.

“This is really _really_ weird,” Jack said.

“You think?” Jacob countered, sounding less irritated than Jack would have expected. “I’m way past the mid-life crisis thing, too.”

Jack gave him a look. “You implying something?”

“What do you think I’m implying?”

“_Nothing_,” Jack hissed.

It wasn’t even as if Jacob upset Jack’s mental clockwork. Quite the opposite, as Jacob fit in perfectly. Respect given, respect taken, respect earned, respect exchanged…

Equilibrium, that was the word. They were in equilibrium; that delicate edge of perfect balance, something that Jack could not recall having ever experiencing before.

In equilibrium. Equal giving and taking. Equals. Right, it came back down to the fact that Jack knew in his gut that they were equals. Although there were a few who had the ability to tolerate Jack O’Neill’s Brand of Bullshit, it took a special kind of person who could fling said bullshit back, and then some. Kinda like Daniel, except that Daniel kinda wasn’t exactly around anymore and perhaps Jack had gotten restless – like pelting balls at a wall that had refused to bounce them back.

It was nice having an equal again. But even if he had ever consciously thought about this quirky little subconscious need of his, he wouldn’t have expected any of the icky stuff to eventually get involved.

Dude. Wrong. On so. Many. Levels.

Jack resisted the urge to twiddle his thumbs. “So… does Selmac have any advice on what we should do now?”

“I thought you said not to mention his presence.”

“Okay, whatever.”

Jacob tilted his head to one side, as though listening to something. “Actually he says to let you finish freaking out first.”

Jack opened his mouth to say something, then quickly shut it. It wasn’t as if he weren’t at fault, too. Irritatingly enough, Jack couldn’t seem find anything else to blame. No alien booze, no fancy-ass alien doohickey, no coercion on either side, and – _and_ – not even the excuse of hormones. Guys their age _didn’t have _those frickin’ hormones no more!

“I have a deck of cards,” Jacob said, after a while.

“What?”

“Cards,” Jacob repeated, waving the customised deck in Jack’s face. “We could play poker or something. While waiting for you to stop freaking out.”

Some internal wiring snapped. “Why are _you_ being so goddamn _calm_ about this?!”

“Because _you_—“ and Jacob thumped his knuckles against Jack’s chest, “—are freaking out enough for the both of us.”

“Carter’s gonna have kittens. The _other _Carter,” he added.

“Sam?” Jacob froze mid-shuffling. “Shit.”

“_Yeah_, genius!” Jack snarled, smacking Jacob underside the head.

Jacob blinked, once, and then parted his lips and said in Selmac’s distinct tones, “Shit.”

“Ha.” Jack leaned back and crossed his arms underneath his head. “Your turn to freak out, smartass.”


End file.
